After spending two seasons as a pitcher for the Patriots, seven as the team’s pitching coach and an overlapping six as the franchise’s director of player personnel, Brett Jodie attended the annual Somerset Patriots holiday reception for the first time ever Thursday night.

Why now? Because Jodie is the new manager, of course.

When Sparky Lyle was named manager emeritus, the Patriots never opened up the search for his successor to the outside despite owner Steve Kalafer’s claim that he had a stack of resumes from “name-brand highest-level major-league players.” Read more about how “There was only one choice ever.”[1]